Friday, June 19, 2009

Another random sampling of ladies hitting the red carpet or being caught by the paparazzi these past few days...

Kathy Bates was not at the press day for Chéri. But that's good. I was experiencing sensory overload anyway. Imagine if I had been made to feel even crazier than I already did about being in the same room with Michelle Pfeiffer. I didn't need Bates there as a freaky "I'm your no. 1 fan" reminder of the obsessive vibe I was probably giving off (uhhhh) NEW TOPIC!

Remember how fun Bates was on Six Feet Under a few years back? I kind of want her to do another TV series which is uncommon for me, given that I like my film actresses to stay put.

Sacha Baron Cohen, excuse me, Brüno at a photocall in Spain. That outfit... he really can't help himself. I'm drawn to the "too much" factor, I think. I'm not someone who likes comedy shows or standup but the comedians who are willing to push things so far that they ended up feeling dangerous rather than 'funny' or punchline oriented... like Andy Kaufman or early Sandra Bernhard. Those people I tend to love.

♫ I don't give a damn about my bad reputation ♫ It's not every day you see an actor with the famous person they're about to recreate onscreen. This isn't from a red carpet event but the annoying Kristen Stewart and the great Joan Jettare actually communicating about Stewart's Jett performance in The Runaways. Do you think Dakota Fanning, not to be outdone, asked to meet with Cherie Currie?

Catherine Deneuve is 65 years old and still giving sensational performances. Her matriarch in Un conte de Noëlhas really stayed with me. My favorite thing about her (aside from her onscreen magnificence) is the cinephile vibe she gives off. That could be wishful thinking but you can also feel that possibility emanating from Kidman, Huppert and Julianne Moore on her good days. Deneuve's been playing muse to auteurs for decades. Can any actress match her collection: Buñuel, Von Trier, Demy, Polanski, Carax, Tony Scott (er...), Truffaut, Téchiné, Desplechin?

Oh, Christina Ricci. I really thought you were going to experience a bonafide resurgence post Black Snake Moan. Why is nothing major happening? Please to explain.

Michelle Pfeiffer was working the talk show circuit right after her press day in New York and I missed it. I am exceedingly forgetful. Plus I tend to be more big screen oriented than general media oriented all told. I frequently forget that my favorites are going to be interviewed somewhen and somewhere. I just want to see them act. The rest is icing. Unfortunately I skipped dessert. How was she on Letterman? Who watched? I love that she's working her 1992 Catwoman 'do again, don't you? The only thing I can find online is this anecdote about her screen test with Al Pacino for Scarface (1983) and I've paired it with her 2001 Letterman appearance for a comparison (the video clears up after a bit)

And, finally, just because it's so freaky to watch now, here's her first major talk show: Johnny Carson in 1980. Can you believe it? At this point she's 21 or 22 and because she's got virtually nothing on her resume, her intro is basically... 'um, this girl is ridiculously beautiful.' I love that Shelley Winters, ole blowsy Shelley Winters, who famously carried her Oscars to auditions with her to terrorize young casting directors, is on hand to welcome her to Hollywood.

19 comments:

Nathaniel, thank you for putting up a beautiful pic of El Ricci. I'm still hoping for the best for her; I wonder why she doesn't pursue more character actress work. I did get excited when I found the following pre-production title on IMDB. Christina and Anjelica reunited would be too much for words!

Poor Christina Ricci. She's way more awesome/talented than a lot of the young stars today who keep getting parts when they shouldn't *cough* Kristen Stewart *cough*.

Catherine Deneuve is a bona fide cinephile. I forgot what it was from, but I read one of her (few and far between) interviews where she said, "I breathe cinema." My heart skipped a couple of beats and I fell even more in love.

She was uncomfortable and bad as usual on Letterman. That shouldn't be a surprise to you, though. I asked my roommate if she thought she had work done ... she was Team Heaton. :( I guess I am kind of too. But, she she looked great.

I have faith that this movie will be nothing short of amazing for the sole reason that Floria Sigismondi is directing, and I've found nearly everything she's done riveting. I can't wait to see what she's going to do with this.

vince i respect those who believe she's had work done. I've suspected it myself and then doubted it and then suspected it and then doubted it again -- in short: as long as she looks like herself I don't care.

steve i do love it (Shelley Winters) she's one of those rare stars where I don't really dig her acting but i love her celebrity and that in her later years she was so willing to mouth off about anything to the media. I even read her autobio "SHELLEY: ALSO KNOWN AS SHIRLEY". ha ha

I don't know about having had "work done" ( what a bad expression ) but she certainly looks older now then two years ago, wrinkles and all. She was terrible on Letterman but he never let her finish anything he asked her - and then he started again with Scarface and all. I don't think she is that uncomfortable anymore , I saw her on The View and Good Morning America and The Early Show and she was very cool and nice, giving the stupidity of the question asked. It must be hard to be asked the same stuff all the time, every time.

I think Pfeiffer's beauty during her 30s far outshines her beauty during her 20s. Looking at her Carson appearance she was just another pretty face; another dime-a-dozen California blonde. I think she blossomed in her late 20s and 30s. Fabulous Baker Boys? She was what, 30 or 31? EXQUISITE.

kel & bernardo i think everyone hits their beauty peak at different times but if we must generalize... I read somewhere that the canonical age of beauty is like 28 (?) when your face is fully yours, fully adult... but before time begins to erode you.

personally I always think the mid 30s are the most ravishing. There's something about a person when you can still see both the past and the future in their face. I just find it so hypnotic. movie star faces in their thirties just kill me.

from 1988 to like 1995 or so when Pfeiffer was 29ish - 36ish. my god, it was jawdropping. and given that i just saw a bunch of Meryl Streep in the exact same age range the same holds true there. Was she ever more ravishing to look at than in Sophie's Choice (32ish) or Plenty (35ish)

if we're generalizing this means that Angelina Jolie & Penélope Cruz have just peaked ;)

but the thing about movie stars is that they're so crazy beautiful that even when Hollywood is ready to put them out to pasture they're still more beautiful than anyone has any right to be ;)

vince well... at the time she was a newcomer and I imagine the difference in attention between pretty newcomer and obsessed over superstar recognized everywhere is a traumatic difference (for some people at least. others seem to maintain their exact same mood)

Yes yes, I think Pfeiffer was most ravishing between 1988-1996(ish). I was watching Russia House the other day and was compelled to pause during close-ups of her face. Stunning. (though she's lost little of her allure at 51:)

I remember watching Sophie's Choice and thinking Streep was ravishing, she was what 32ish?

Angelina has gotten more stunning over the years. I didn't think she was particularly beautiful when she first came to prominence in the late 90s; around the time Girl, Interrupted came out. But by around 2004/2005- she was mindblowingly gorgeous.

IMO the so-called "canonical age" for a woman's beauty is a range, late 20s- mid/late 30s. ;)

Deneuve is so magnificent. I only wish she has worked with Hitchhock (apparently he wanted to cast her after seeing Repulsion). Also, as much as I love Huppert's role In 'I Heart Huckabees', it would have been awesome with her.

Pfeiffer as usaul is her cool, pfabulous self. My only wish is for her to make better films- 'Cheri' is a move in that direction- and perhaps choose films based on directors (like Deneuve does) rather than storyline, etc. I realises her situation is different to Deneuve's and in Hollywood the role of director is not the same as in Europe...

loved that carson clip! yes, shelley pushing her book, which i either already had or would soon get when i was first in line at a signing on newbury street, boston with yellow rose in hand. shelley freaked about the rose, how did i know that yellow roses were HER flower? i didn't. as i had walked up the street & tipped into the florist, that's what they had. she signed the book to me, "accidentally on purpose" a phrase she used in the book & felt appropriate that moment. years later while walking in the beverly center, i heard shelley SCREECHING, but i chose not to gravitate towards the commotion. and yes, it was sweet to see michelle.